In a turbulent environment, investors are inclined to put in some extra work to stay on top of the latest market happenings. Analysts and investors are typically highly focused on company earnings numbers when they are published. Company earnings are a good way to analyze the profitability of the company. Sell-side analysts are currently looking for Seagate Technology. (NASDAQ:STX) to post quarterly EPS of $1.05. The company’s next earnings report is expected to be released on or around 2017-02-03 for the period ending on 2016-12-31. The company posted EPS of $0.82 for the same quarter last year. Most recently, the company reported EPS of $0.99. Prior to the last earnings report, Zacks Research had a consensus estimate looking for EPS of $0.89. The gap between the estimate and actual number was $0.1 which created a surprise factor of 11.24%. The surprise factor can cause substantial stock fluctuations after the earnings release.

The company posted EPS of $0.82 for the same quarter last year. Most recently, the company reported EPS of $0.99. Prior to the last earnings report, Zacks Research had a consensus estimate looking for EPS of $0.89. The gap between the estimate and actual number was $0.1 which created a surprise factor of 11.24%. The surprise factor can cause substantial stock fluctuations after the earnings release.

Before and after the earnings report, covering Wall Street analysts often make updates to their projections. Analysts taken into consideration by Zacks Research have a current mean target price of $38.6 on Seagate Technology. (NASDAQ:STX) shares. This target consists of 20 research analysts polled by Zacks Research. Analysts may have different stances on where they see the stock headed in the future. Among the polled analysts, the highest estimate sees the stock going to 50 in the next year. The analyst with the lowest target price views shares reaching $22 within the same period. In looking at the standard deviation of all estimates, we arrive at 7.006.

Zacks Research also compiles analyst ratings using a scale that ranges from 1 to 5. If the company has a ratings score of 1, this would represent a Strong Buy. If the company has a 5 rating, this would signify a Strong Sell. Combining all the ratings on Seagate Technology. (NASDAQ:STX), the current mean stands at 2.57. Breaking those down we see that the ratings are as follows: 7 Strong Buy, 0 Rated Buy, 13 Rated Hold and 2 Rated Sell.

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Analyst recommendations and estimates are for informational purposes only and should be used along with a number of other factors when considering an investment position. Part of the data in this report is derived from Zacks Research and FactSet. Ratings and estimates change daily and thus the numbers may differ slightly if a new report has been issued within the last 24-hours. The consensus numbers take into account the reports from over 160 brokerage firms. The job of analysts is to issue recommendations for their clients, and not typically for the general public. Analyst forecasts, earnings estimates and price target projections are issued to help their clients make money through stock investments. We in no way are suggesting that readers make any decision based on the information in this report.